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Does anyone really think Tesla will be able to compete with the likes of Enderdel, A123, and some of the Chinese battery manufacturers AND be able to build cars?

I for one think they should seriously consider outsourcing the Whitestar battery to a supplier. Unless their Roadster battery is better than anything available (which I'd doubt because the technology is almost old compared to what is available now). Glad to see Tesla is at least focused and realizes they need some cars to hit the road.

The established car makers have been willing out outsource almost any part of their cars, except their core technology: the internal combustion engine. They always kept tight control over that. For an electric car, the core technology is the battery.

The established car makers have been willing out outsource almost any part of their cars, except their core technology: the internal combustion engine. They always kept tight control over that. For an electric car, the core technology is the battery.

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And the motor. Martin Eberhard said that a new way to manufacture it is part of their "secret sauce."

If Tesla is able to keep up with the latest in battery advancements having battery technology in-house is a good strategy. Toyota & Matsushita (Panasonic) got burned and were forced into a settlement agreement as a result of using the EV-95 NiMH batteries.

We have to remember that some EV critics are the same characters that stand to lose, should Tesla and EVs in general become successful. As we know, battery technology is the one key item keeping EV proliferation at bay.